Ten questions to ask a drywall repair company before anyone cuts into your wall

What to find out before you say yes

Before you hire anyone to repair drywall, ask how they will match your texture and paint, how they will control dust, whether the cause of the damage has to be fixed first, what the written estimate includes and what happens if you are not happy with the result. A company that does this work every day will answer each of those quickly and specifically. Vague answers to the texture and paint questions are the biggest warning sign, because that is where most visible patches come from.

I own and run our local PatchMaster office, and small to medium drywall repairs are the core of what we do. Below are the ten questions I would ask if I were the homeowner, why each one matters, and what a good answer sounds like. Use them on us or on anyone else.

Why the small-repair market needs extra screening

Drywall repair has a gap in the middle. Large remodeling contractors usually do not want a single hole behind a door, because it is not worth sending a crew. On the other end, almost anyone with a putty knife can offer to patch a wall. The result is that homeowners with small jobs often struggle to get a call back from established companies, then hire whoever answers and end up with a patch they can see from across the room.

Screening takes ten minutes on the phone and saves you from paying twice. The questions are simple, and you do not need to know anything about drywall to judge the answers. You only need to listen for whether the person describes a real process or just says it will look fine.

The first five: about the repair itself

These questions tell you whether the person understands what makes a repair disappear.

• How will you match my texture? Listen for a specific method and for the word feathering, meaning the texture is blended out past the edges of the patch so there is no visible border.
• Is paint included, and will it be color-matched or just close? Ask whether they will blend the patched area or paint the wall corner to corner, and whether you can supply your own paint.
• Will you prime before painting? Bare joint compound absorbs paint differently than the surrounding wall; skipping primer leaves a dull rectangle even with the right color.
• How do you handle a hole that is bigger than a fist? The right answer involves cutting back to a clean shape and adding backing or new board, not stuffing it with compound or covering it with mesh.
• What kind of board do you use in a bathroom or laundry room? In moisture-prone areas we use moisture-resistant board, such as green board or purple board, and a careful company will mention something similar.

The next five: about the job, the house and the paperwork

These questions protect your home and your money while the work is happening.

• How do you control dust? A tarp on the floor is not enough. We use equipment with HEPA-certified filters, temporary dust barriers and drop cloths, then clean up thoroughly.
• Does the leak or other cause need to be fixed first? A good company will tell you a water-damaged area must be repaired and dry before it can be patched.
• Will I get a written estimate that lists everything? Ask whether texture, primer, paint and cleanup are all included in the number.
• Are your technicians insured, and licensed where licensing is required? Ask to see proof if it matters to you or to your property manager.
• What happens if I am not satisfied? Ask what the guarantee or warranty covers and how you would use it.

What good answers sound like, and what bad ones sound like

A good answer to the texture question sounds like this: we look at the pattern, test the consistency on a scrap or a hidden area, spray or hand-apply it to match, and blend it past the patch so the light does not catch an edge. A bad answer is we will make it look good, with nothing behind it. The same goes for paint. If the person cannot explain why fresh paint over fresh compound looks different from the old wall, they are likely to leave you with a visible square.

On dust, a good answer names specific steps. On moisture, a good answer is cautious: they would rather wait than patch over wet board. On the estimate, a good answer is a document that lists each spot and what will be done to it. On guarantees, a good answer tells you exactly what to do if a seam shows up later. At PatchMaster we offer a satisfaction guarantee: if you are not happy, the local office will do what it can to make it right or you will not be charged.

Warning signs that should end the conversation

Some answers tell you to keep looking. None of them prove a company is dishonest, but each one predicts a patch you will notice or a job that drags on.

• They will not give a written estimate before starting, or the estimate is a single number with no breakdown
• They want to paint over a water stain without checking whether the board is soft or the leak is fixed
• They plan to sand without any dust barriers in a finished, occupied home
• They say texture matching is not possible, or treat paint as your problem after the patch is done
• They promise to finish a large, multi-coat repair in far less time than drying allows
• They cannot tell you who to call if a seam cracks or the color does not blend

Questions to answer for yourself before you call

The quality of the answers you get depends partly on how clearly you describe the job. Before you phone anyone, spend a few minutes pulling the details together. It makes every conversation shorter, and it makes the estimates you collect far easier to compare, because every company is pricing the same thing.

If you are a property manager or a plumber or electrician closing up access openings, the same applies. A single list of every opening, with a photo of each and the unit or room it is in, gets you one estimate and usually one visit instead of a series of separate calls.

• How many separate spots need work, and in which rooms
• Wall or ceiling, and how high off the floor
• What caused the damage, and whether that cause has been fixed
• Whether the area has ever been wet, and whether it is dry and firm now
• Whether you want the patch blended or the whole wall repainted, and whether you have the original paint
• When the house was built, if you know

Two extra questions for older homes

If your house was built before 1978, ask whether the company follows lead-safe practices. The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule says that anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978 must be certified and follow lead-safe work practices. Sanding and cutting old painted drywall or plaster is exactly that kind of work, so the question is reasonable and a responsible company will not be offended by it.

Also ask whether they repair plaster as well as drywall. Older homes often have plaster walls and ceilings, and it is a different material from modern board. We repair both, and plaster work can range from minor cosmetic issues to more serious damage. If a company only works with drywall, they may recommend tearing out plaster that could have been repaired.

How to compare quotes once the answers are in

Line the estimates up and check that they cover the same work: the same number of spots, the same paint scope, the same cleanup. If one is much lower, look for what it leaves out. Often it is texture matching, primer, a whole-wall repaint, or the time needed between coats. Elliot Presser's guide on comparing three remodel bids that do not match applies the same thinking to larger projects, and much of it carries over to a drywall job.

Then compare what each company assumes about timing. My guide to what drives the cost of a drywall repair explains why number of spots, ceilings, texture and paint matter more than hole size. Once the price differences make sense, the decision usually comes down to which company gave the clearest answers about texture and paint.

How we answer these questions at PatchMaster

Every estimate is free. You can call or use the online form and attach photos taken a few feet back from the damage, which lets me assess the job before the visit. After an initial assessment, you get a detailed estimate of all costs. We match texture and paint as closely as possible, paint the whole wall if that is what it takes for the color to blend, use moisture-resistant board where it belongs, and control dust with HEPA-filtered equipment, barriers and drop cloths. Our technicians are insured and licensed where licensing is required.

Projects often start within a few days of the estimate, and weekend appointments are available. If you want to see how the work unfolds on the day, read how long a drywall repair takes and what repair day looks like. If you are worried the patch will show, my guide on the myths about matching texture and paint explains how we keep it invisible. We work across Northeast Dallas, north to Plano and east to Royce City.

Questions people ask me